A new propaganda culture now sprang from London's premier bohemian boroughs: Kensington, Chelsea and Hampstead. An Artists’ Suffrage League was formed in 1907, led by legendary banner-maker Mary ...
More

A new propaganda culture now sprang from London's premier bohemian boroughs: Kensington, Chelsea and Hampstead. An Artists’ Suffrage League was formed in 1907, led by legendary banner-maker Mary Lowndes. A Women Writers’ Suffrage League followed in 1908, with authors Cicely Hamilton and Margaret Nevinson. An Actresses’ Franchise League gave theatrical pizzazz to suffrage arguments; while a Men's League for Women's Suffrage drew together influential male supporters. Notable among these were accomplished journalists Henry Nevinson (Margaret's husband) and Henry Brailsford, both living in Hampstead. At the heart of all this suffrage creativity were brother and sister Laurence and Clemence Housman. Their home in Kensington soon became a key site of suffragette cultural production, headquarters of the Suffrage Atelier. Laurence was not only a magnificent speaker and writer, but also designed the memorable ‘From Prison to Citizenship’ banner, carried proudly aloft in suffragette processions. Clemence, banner-maker to the movement, quietly joined the new Women's Tax Resistance League. Its slogan was ‘No Vote, No Tax’. Confrontation loomed.Less

Propaganda culture: Clemence and Laurence Housman

Jill Liddington

Published in print: 2014-01-01

A new propaganda culture now sprang from London's premier bohemian boroughs: Kensington, Chelsea and Hampstead. An Artists’ Suffrage League was formed in 1907, led by legendary banner-maker Mary Lowndes. A Women Writers’ Suffrage League followed in 1908, with authors Cicely Hamilton and Margaret Nevinson. An Actresses’ Franchise League gave theatrical pizzazz to suffrage arguments; while a Men's League for Women's Suffrage drew together influential male supporters. Notable among these were accomplished journalists Henry Nevinson (Margaret's husband) and Henry Brailsford, both living in Hampstead. At the heart of all this suffrage creativity were brother and sister Laurence and Clemence Housman. Their home in Kensington soon became a key site of suffragette cultural production, headquarters of the Suffrage Atelier. Laurence was not only a magnificent speaker and writer, but also designed the memorable ‘From Prison to Citizenship’ banner, carried proudly aloft in suffragette processions. Clemence, banner-maker to the movement, quietly joined the new Women's Tax Resistance League. Its slogan was ‘No Vote, No Tax’. Confrontation loomed.